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Prep time
1 hour 40 minutes
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Cook time
25 minutes
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Serves
14 to 16 buns
Author Notes
These cardamom buns are as traditional as it gets. I make a sweet yeasted dough with freshly ground cardamom, and fill each bun with a generous layer of sugar-butter and cardamom sugar. After they’ve been shaped and baked, I finish them off with a simple syrup and more cardamom sugar. This recipe goes heavy with the cardamom, but I promise you won’t find it overpowering.
It took me a while to get the shaping down, so I’d recommend watching the video if you have any questions on how to go about it. Also make sure you read my tips below for best results.
Tips & Tricks:
• Yeast is typically 1-2% of flour weight, but because cinnamon and cardamom both have anti-fungal qualities that can slow down fermentation, cardamom buns can take a higher amount of yeast without the flavor of yeast coming through.
• Most traditional cardamom bun recipes don’t include egg, but I added an egg because I like my buns to be a little on the fluffier side. If you want your buns to be a little denser, or if you don’t have an egg, decrease the amount of flour by about 2 ½ tablespoons (20 grams).
• It’s vital that you knead the dough long enough so that the gluten fully develops. Most often, recipes will say to knead dough for about 10 to 15 minutes, but it really depends on your mixer. If your mixer is old or less powerful, you may need to knead for up to 30 minutes. Make sure you can accurately do the window pane test before you stop kneading. If you can stretch it so thin that you can (almost) see through it, it’s done. If it tears pretty easily, keep kneading.
—Nea Arentzen
Watch This Recipe
Traditional Swedish Cardamom Buns
Ingredients
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DOUGH:
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1 cup
(250 grams) whole milk
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1/4 cup
plus 2 tablespoons (82 grams) granulated sugar
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3 1/4 teaspoons
(10 grams) active dry yeast (see tip)
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1
large egg
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7 tablespoons
(100 grams) unsalted butter, softened
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4 cups
plus 2 ½ tablespoons (500 grams) all-purpose flour
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1 tablespoon
cardamom seeds, ground
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3/4 teaspoon
Diamond crystal kosher salt
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FILLING:
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11 tablespoons
(154 grams) unsalted butter
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2/3 cup
(132 grams) granulated sugar
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1/2 teaspoon
vanilla extract or paste
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a
pinch of kosher salt
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1
egg yolk plus 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
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CARDAMOM SUGAR:
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1/4 cup
(50 grams) sugar
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2 tablespoons
cardamom seeds, ground
Directions
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Make the dough: In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the milk and sugar until it reaches 97ºF/36ºC (or body temperature if you don’t have a kitchen thermometer). If it gets too warm, let it cool down before proceeding, as adding hot milk to yeast can kill it.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm milk. Stir to dissolve the yeast. Let it sit until small bubbles appear on the surface, indicating the yeast has been activated, about 5 minutes.
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Add the egg, butter, flour, cardamom, and salt to the bowl. Mix on low speed until all the flour is incorporated, then increase the speed to medium or medium-high and knead the dough until smooth and tacky, 10 to 15 minutes. (Depending on the power of your mixer, you may need to knead longer.) If the dough still looks rough or breaks easily when stretched, continue kneading.
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Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (To speed it up or if your kitchen is cold, let the doughproof in the oven–turned OFF–but with the light on).
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Meanwhile, prepare the butter filling and cardamom sugar.
In a small bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. In another small bowl, combine the sugar and cardamom for the filling.
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Shape the buns: On a clean surface, roll the dough into a 12x24-inch rectangle (with the short side facing you). Spread the butter filling evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with a generous amount of cardamom sugar, reserving some for garnishing the buns.
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Fold the top edge of the dough over about two-thirds of the dough, then fold the edge closest to you over the top, like an envelope (this is a bit tricky—think of folding a letter). Roll the dough out again into a 12x14-inch rectangle to help the layers adhere and to thin it out.
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Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough lengthwise into 14 (1-inch wide) strips. Take one strip and, using your thumb and middle finger, twist it once around your pointer and middle fingers. Twist the strand around once more, but this time stop where your thumb is and fold it over between the two fingers, tucking the end of the strip underneath. (Refer to the video for a visual guide.)
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Place each twisted bun on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, spacing them at least 4 inches apart. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise until puffed and stay mostly dented when gently poked, another 30 to 45 minutes (they won't necessarily double in size).
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Bake: Preheat the oven to 400ºF/204ºC with a rack in the center position. Brush the buns with egg wash. Bake until golden brown and they reach an internal temperature of at least 190ºF/87ºC on a kitchen thermometer, about 12 minutes.
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While the buns are baking, prepare the simple syrup by mixing ¼ cup warm water with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
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Once the buns are out of the oven, immediately brush them with the syrup and sprinkle with the remaining cardamom sugar. Let cool slightly before serving.
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